The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers (PARCC) is an effort to provide information on how prepared
students are for higher education or work after high school. The exams are
based on Common Core standards for reading and math, but technical glitches in
the computer-given tests are driving some districts to turn to paper instead.
“Our concern was really that the results of this
testing taken online wouldn’t necessarily give clear data on what students know
and should be able to do,” a spokeswoman for one school district told The Chicago Tribune.
The Tribune reported that one in four students in
Illinois will use paper to take the exams during the spring testing period,
costing districts an additional $2.4 million. The percentage of students taking
the test online vs. paper is about the same in other states giving the test, according
to PARCC officials.
About 11% of the school districts in Illinois plan to
use paper and pencil to give the exam and another 34% will use a combination of
paper and computer exams. The cost to administer the test to grades 3-8 is
about $24 per student, but it rises to $33 each for paper testing.
The Tribune also reported that some students are planning to not take the exams at all, but opting out
could be an issue. State officials said that if more than 5% of students
statewide opt out, Illinois could fail federal requirements and face sanctions
and that the state could then penalize districts for not testing enough
students.